A report to be published today by the Australian Medical Journal says the proportion of high-risk drinkers aged over 50 — those who drink 11 or more standard drinks on a single occasion at least once a month — increased from 2.1 per cent to 3.1 per cent between 2004 and 2016.

Risky drinkers — those who drink between five and 10 standard drinks on a single occasion at least once a month — increased from 13.4 per cent to 13.5 per cent.

“Although the increase in the proportions of risky and high-risk drinkers are small, they nevertheless correspond to an additional 400,000 people drinking at potentially problematic levels.”

According to the report, “despite the worrying trend”, the “specific needs” of older people were often overlooked or poorly met by the country’s healthcare system “as they face substantial barriers obtaining advice or treatment for alcohol-related problems”.

“The quality of care for people with alcohol-related problems can definitely be improved,” it said.

Primary health care was the “ideal setting” in which to detect and intervene in risky drinking, according to the report, and “routine screening for problematic alcohol use by older patients is warranted”.

The researchers — Professor Ann Roche, director of the national centre for education and training on addiction at Flinders University, and research officer Victoria Kostadinov — suggested improved education for doctors about the “patterns and drivers of alcohol consumption by older people” should be a priority.

“Older people are vulnerable to a range of alcohol-related adverse effects, including falls and other injuries, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental health problems, obesity, liver disease and early onset dementia and other brain injury,” the researchers wrote.

“Age-appropriate resources and techniques for clinical practice ... are also required for encouraging low-risk drinking in more vulnerable groups of older people, and for minimising the risks of alcohol-related harm.”